scholarly journals Taxonomía y biogeografía del extinto lobo gigante, Canis dirus Leidy 1858, en México

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-137
Author(s):  
Damián Ruiz-Ramoni ◽  
Marisol Montellano-Ballesteros
Keyword(s):  
Canis Dirus

scholarly journals First records ofCanis dirusandSmilodon fatalisfrom the late Pleistocene Tule Springs local fauna, upper Las Vegas Wash, Nevada

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Scott ◽  
Kathleen B. Springer
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Las Vegas ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Local Fauna ◽  
Fossil Assemblage ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Body Fossil ◽  
Canis Dirus

Late Pleistocene groundwater discharge deposits (paleowetlands) in the upper Las Vegas Wash north of Las Vegas, Nevada, have yielded an abundant and diverse vertebrate fossil assemblage, the Tule Springs local fauna (TSLF). The TSLF is the largest open-site vertebrate fossil assemblage dating to the Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age in the southern Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Over 600 discrete body fossil localities have been recorded from the wash, including an area that now encompasses Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (TUSK). Paleowetland sediments exposed in TUSK named the Las Vegas Formation span the last 250 ka, with fossiliferous sediments spanning ∼100–13 ka. The recovered fauna is dominated by remains ofCamelopsandMammuthus, and also includes relatively common remains of extinctEquusandBisonas well as abundant vertebrate microfaunal fossils. Large carnivorans are rare, with onlyPuma concolorandPanthera atroxdocumented previously. Postcranial remains assigned to the speciesCanis dirus(dire wolf) andSmilodon fatalis(sabre-toothed cat) represent the first confirmed records of these species from the TSLF, as well as the first documentation ofCanis dirusin Nevada and the only known occurrence ofSmilodonin southern Nevada. The size of the recovered canid fossil precludes assignment to other Pleistocene species ofCanis. The morphology of the felid elements differentiates them from other large predators such asPanthera,Homotherium, andXenosmilus, and the size of the fossils prevents assignment to other species ofSmilodon. The confirmed presence ofS. fatalisin the TSLF is of particular interest, indicating that this species inhabited open habitats. In turn, this suggests that the presumed preference ofS. fatalisfor closed-habitat environments hunting requires further elucidation.

scholarly journals Paleobiology of a large mammal community from the late Pleistocene of Sonora, Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Short ◽  
Laura G. Emmert ◽  
Nicholas A. Famoso ◽  
Jeff M. Martin ◽  
Jim I. Mead ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Large Mammal ◽  
Northern Mexico ◽  
The Past ◽  
Community Restructuring ◽  
Land Mammal ◽  
Canis Dirus

Abstract A paleontological deposit near San Clemente de Térapa represents one of the very few Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age sites within Sonora, Mexico. During that time, grasslands were common, and the climate included cooler and drier summers and wetter winters than currently experienced in northern Mexico. Here, we demonstrate restructuring in the mammalian community associated with environmental change over the past 40,000 years at Térapa. The fossil community has a similar number of carnivores and herbivores whereas the modern community consists mostly of carnivores. There was also a 97% decrease in mean body size (from 289 kg to 9 kg) because of the loss of megafauna. We further provide an updated review of ungulates and carnivores, recognizing two distinct morphotypes of Equus, including E. scotti and a slighter species; as well as Platygonus compressus; Camelops hesternus; Canis dirus; and Lynx rufus; and the first regional records of Palaeolama mirifica, Procyon lotor, and Smilodon cf. S. fatalis. The Térapa mammals presented here provide a more comprehensive understanding of the faunal community restructuring that occurred in northern Mexico from the late Pleistocene to present day, indicating further potential biodiversity loss with continued warming and drying of the region.

scholarly journals Parallels between playbacks and Pleistocene tar seeps suggest sociality in an extinct sabretooth cat, Smilodon

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Carbone ◽  
Tom Maddox ◽  
Paul J Funston ◽  
Michael G.L Mills ◽  
Gregory F Grether ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Multiple Predators ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Fossil Records ◽  
Canis Dirus ◽  
Dire Wolf ◽  
Rancho La Brea ◽  
Solitary Species

Inferences concerning the lives of extinct animals are difficult to obtain from the fossil record. Here we present a novel approach to the study of extinct carnivores, using a comparison between fossil records ( n =3324) found in Late Pleistocene tar seeps at Rancho La Brea in North America and counts ( n =4491) from playback experiments used to estimate carnivore abundance in Africa. Playbacks and tar seep deposits represent competitive, potentially dangerous encounters where multiple predators are lured by dying herbivores. Consequently, in both records predatory mammals and birds far outnumber herbivores. In playbacks, two large social species, lions, Panthera leo , and spotted hyenas, Crocuta crocuta , actively moved towards the sounds of distressed prey and made up 84 per cent of individuals attending. Small social species (jackals) were next most common and solitary species of all sizes were rare. In the La Brea record, two species dominated, the presumably social dire wolf Canis dirus (51%), and the sabretooth cat Smilodon fatalis (33%). As in the playbacks, a smaller social canid, the coyote Canis latrans , was third most common (8%), and known solitary species were rare (<4%). The predominance of Smilodon and other striking similarities between playbacks and the fossil record support the conclusion that Smilodon was social.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document